


Boruto: Naruto Next Generations: Kaori Oto

by AliceSweeney



Category: Boruto: Naruto Next Generations
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-05
Updated: 2018-11-05
Packaged: 2019-08-19 11:40:34
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16533917
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceSweeney/pseuds/AliceSweeney
Summary: A friend requested that I write a Kaori story that sticks to the Boruto cannon, at least up to the Boruto movie. Kaori struggles to find her place in the ninja world. Will she find family, friends, and safety, or will she remain simply a weapon waiting to be used and destroyed?





	1. First Breath

“She is ready Lord Orochimaru.” 

“Open your eyes my child.” 

Pale eyes slowly opened at the noise. She felt a burning in her throat causing her to cough loudly. She quickly moved her hands to her face but froze as they remained restrained to her sides. Panic surged through her veins as she began to struggle against her binds.

“Suigetsu! Sedate her! I will not have her harming herself like our first!”

The panic increased as pale lavender eyes watched the purple eyed male move towards her. Her heart began to race as a beeping sound increased its rate of sound.

Her small frame pulled against her binds again before finally managing to shout, “Who are you?! Where am I?!”

The male approaching her smiled deviously showing off triangular pointed teeth, “I am Suigetsu. I am your caretaker little one. How about you relax and take your medicine kid?”

Her mind remained panicked, she didn’t trust this Suigetsu. He had a smile that said he placed one too many fake ones on his face.

“Take the medicine child, or Lord Orochimaru will have me force you. This is your last chance to have a choice in this.”

Her pale lavender eyes met his through long red bangs, his gaze told her that he was serious. With a hesitant nod, she allowed him to place the lip of the cup against her lips. The bitter medicine soothed her burning throat. Her eyes shifted to the other male, Orochimaru. His reptilian eyes locked on her gaze as he slowly took a few steps towards her.

“I am Lord Orochimaru, your creator.”

The child’s eyes widened as she asked, “Creator?”

Orochimaru nodded causing his long black hair to shift, “Yes, I have brought you into this worldly existence.”

Her lip began to quiver as she asked, “Who am I, Creator?”

Orochimaru’s white hand took hold of the small girl’s pale chin as he said, “Your name is Oto no Kaori. You may call me Lord Orochimaru if you wish rather than Creator, you may call Suigetsu your uncle. He will be taking you into the village nearby once you feel better. You must practice walking on those legs of yours. While there he will help find you suitable clothes and weapons. You will begin your training at once, and hospital gowns are not the best clothes for children.”

The small five year old nodded as she whispered, “Kaori.”

She tested her name. Her eyes slowly began to light up as she whispered, “Thank you for my name Creator. I like my name.”

Orochimaru nodded as he exited the room, “Do not take too long Suigetsu, she should rest up before tomorrow. I want her enrolled in the academy and beginning as soon as possible.”


	2. Making a choice

Kaori smiled brightly as she sat at her desk, she didn’t mind the looks she received from the older kids, she was just happy to be around people other than her Creator and Uncle. She was grateful for the life they gave her, but she couldn’t help be remain distrusting of the two.

“Kaori, it is your turn for your exam. You are to demonstrate the transformation jutsu.”

Kaori nodded to her instructor as she made her way to the front of her class. With a calming breath, she closed her eyes to focus.

“Transformation jutsu...”

Her instructor nodded as the white cloud of smoke vanished. She held her transformation form as she waited for her instructor to allow her to release the jutsu.

“You have done well Kaori, you have passed. You may collect your headband.”

Kaori nodded as she gently took hold of the blue fabric of her new headband. Her small hands gently shook as she took in the silver metal with small note etched into it. Otogakure, her village, her home, and now she could train to defend it. She would make her Creator proud, even if she was unsure if she could trust him. As she walked home, her step was quicker. She couldn’t contain her excitement, maybe her Creator would allow her to spend more time reading his scrolls as a reward.

“Creator! I passed the exam! I am the youngest person in Otogakure to be a ninja. Does this please you?”

Orochimaru nodded as he said, “Yes, I am pleased, although you should refrain from bringing so much attention to yourself.”

Kaori nodded as she murmured, “I am sorry Creator...I was too enthusiastic in practice in the academy, yes?”

Suigetsu chuckled as he nodded, “Yes, putting others in the hospital at the age of seven is far too enthusiastic. Come, I’ll take you to get some barbecue in celebration of your early graduation. Lord Orochimaru is very busy.”

Kaori nodded as she gently took Suigetsu’s cold hand and followed him out of the compound. She loved barbecue, it was her favourite, and it was a rare occasion that Suigetsu would go outside with her.

“Was the test hard Kaori?”

Kaori happily shook her head as she said, “Training with you is much harder Uncle. The test was much like walking for me.”

She smiled brightly up at Suigetsu as he asked, “Are you excited to meet your team?”

Kaori shrugged as they entered the barbecue shop. Her smile became brighter as she excitedly rushed over to a table.

“Come on Uncle, hurry up you slowpoke!”

Suigetsu rolled his eyes as he followed after her, glaring at the few people who dared to stair at them for too long. He sighed, there were too many people around to see her. They had made a mistake when they created Kaori, her eyes were too obvious for her own good. As he slowly settled across from her, he contemplated what he was about to do.

“Kaori, do you enjoy living with Lord Orochimaru and I?”

Kaori’s gaze slowly left her drink as she met his eyes, “I like you Uncle, but I do not like Creator. I do not want to disappoint him though, he scares me. I also do not trust him at all, but I trust you.”

Kaori’s gaze shifted to her arriving plate of food. Her legs kicked in excitement as the smell reached her nose. She loved spending time with her Uncle, he was always nice to her, even if he was weird.

“What if you didn’t have to stay with us anymore?”

Kaori stiffened, “What do you mean Uncle? Where would I go?”

Suigetsu shrugged as he sipped his water, “What if I sent you away from Lord Orochimaru with an old friend? He could keep you safe away from him. I can’t leave with you, but this way you don’t have to be his new weapon. The last one we created...he killed her for not being strong enough. I don’t want to see that happen to you, you could say I’m attached to my niece. I can say you overpowered me and ran away.”

Kaori’s wide eyes filled with worry as she asked, “But wouldn’t you get hurt Uncle?”

Suigetsu shrugged again as he said, “I’ll let you and my friend beat me up, with your reports from the academy Lord Orochimaru will believe that you could beat me. I’ll say you escaped. He’ll be mad, but he won’t kill me. He’ll need me to help him create a replacement.”

Kaori bit her lip nervously as she whispered, “I don’t want you to be hurt...”

Suigetsu chuckled as he pointed his fork towards her, “Eat your food kid. You’re going and that’s final. We will have goodbyes after we eat. So rather than spoiling our last meal, how about we smile and talk about anything else?”

Kaori pouted, puffing her cheeks out, as she grumbled, “I thought I had a choice Uncle, I am old enough to make my own choices! You said so!”

Suigetsu gave her a toothy grin as he reached forward and ruffled her hair, “No pouting kid, smile for me please? I want to remember you smiling.”

Kaori’s gaze shifted to her plate again, she was conflicted. She didn’t like her creator, but she didn’t want her Uncle to be hurt for helping her. She had grown very attached to Suigetsu over the years she grew, he was the one always caring for her. Her soft gaze returned to her Uncle’s face. She noticed he looked sad, and she didn’t want him to be sad. With a determined look in her eyes, Kaori gave him her best smile.

“As you wish Uncle, is this good?”

Suigetsu couldn’t help but laugh as he looked down at the small girl in front of him. He knew at that moment, he was making the right choice.


	3. Saying Goodbye

As their meal came to an end, Suigetsu was becoming anxious. He was late, he was supposed to be here by now.

“Uncle, if you keep that face on, people will begin to think you to be up to something.”

Suigetsu’s eyes widened as he gazed at the small girl, she was much more observant than he remembered. He still remembered her as the scared little five year old breathing in her first conscious breaths of life.

“So this is the kid?”

Kaori’s pale eyes glared up at the raven haired male who leaned against her Uncle’s chair. She didn’t like him already. His coal black eye remained glued to her Uncle.

“You’re late.”

The male lazily shrugged as he said, “I was trying to remain unnoticed by your master. I don’t plan on fighting him today.”

Suigetsu’s eyes narrowed at the male as he gestured towards him, “Kaori, this is Sasuke Uchiha. Sasuke, this is Kaori.”

Sasuke’s gaze shifted to examine her. Kaori shifted uncomfortably, it felt like he could see through her. She tried to glare up at him in hopes of making him stop, but blushed as she watched his eye widen.

“She’s a Hyuga? How did you get your hands on her? There hasn’t been any reports of a missing Hyuga.”

Suigetsu pulled Sasuke into the seat beside him as he hissed, “Quiet you idiot!”

Kaori’s eyes widened curiously as she asked, “What is a Hyuga, Uncle?”

Suigetsu sighed as he gently pulled out a folder from his bag and handed it to the Uchiha.

“Kaori, the Hyuga is a family from Sasuke’s village.”

Kaori nodded attentively as she excitedly waited to hear about this family, “So they are my family? Creator took me from them?”

Suigetsu bit his lip as he nervously looked down at the small girl’s excited gaze, “No. You are not from the Hyuga family. He did not lie to you when he said he created you. You are not like the rest of us Kaori.”

Kaori’s excited gaze dropped as she hesitantly asked, “What am I then Uncle?”

Sasuke watched the exchange curiously as he asked, “Who are her parents then? Orochimaru and who?”

Suigetsu gave Sasuke a pleading look, begging him to change the subject, but sighed when he realised no such change was coming.

“Kaori was created in the lab, she has no family, and she is not human in the conventional sense. She is a combination of collected dna from four shinobi.”

He could hear Kaori’s breathing hitch. He couldn’t bring himself to look at the small girl, he didn’t want her to be told about this. 

His gaze locked with Sasuke’s as he continued, “She is made from samples from Sabaku no Gaara, Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba. She is the second successful attempt at creating life in this way. The first one was put down by Lord Orochimaru for being weaker than he had expected and from her physical body being prone to illness.”

He watched as Sasuke’s coal gaze shifted to the young girl across from them. He hated that she had to hear what he was telling Sasuke, but he figured it was best at this point to speak the full truth for her sake.

“I need you to take her. Bring her away from this village, I don’t care where! I can’t watch her get tossed away by him. I’ve raised her these past few years and she needs a chance to be something other than the weapon he wants her to be.”

Sasuke nodded as he murmured, “I’ll take her, for now. Don’t expect me to raise her though Suigetsu.”

Suigetsu nodded as he grumbled, “I expected no less. You couldn’t raise a kid even if you wanted to, you’d make a terrible parent. All I want from you is for her to be safe.”

Sasuke nodded as he turned back to Suigetsu, “It will be hard not to draw attention with those eyes.”

Suigetsu smirked as he turned to Kaori, “I already have that covered.”

His heart dropped as he saw the girl shaking like a leaf. She must have been upset by what she heard. With a deep sigh, he slowly stood and knelt in front of her.

He smiled sadly at the young seven year old as he pulled out a pair of purple goggles as he said, “Here, keep these on unless you need to use your eyes. Do you understand?”

Kaori nodded sadly as she murmured, “Yes Uncle.”

Suigetsu smiled softly at the young girl and placed the goggles on her head, “You can think of this as a piece of me. As long as you have these on, I can be sure to be at your side in spirit.”

Kaori could feel the tears starting to fall as Suigetsu removed her newly earned headband from her forehead.

“You won’t need this anymore, I don’t want you to ever come back to this village. For my sake, please don’t return.”

Before he could pocket the headband, her small hands gripped his wrist as she begged, “I want to keep it, please Uncle, to remember my time with you.”

Suigetsu sighed, he couldn’t say no to the little girl. He quickly pulled out a kunai knife from his bad and dug a slice across the headband before placing it around her neck.

His eyes locked with her tearfilled ones as he murmured, “The line means you have defected from this village, Oto no Kaori, you are no longer a ninja of the Sound village. I will allow Sasuke to beat me up a little bit away from here. How about you eat some cookies or something while you wait for him to return?”

Kaori pouted, she didn’t want to leave her Uncle.

“Promise to be good little one?”

She harshly bit down on her bottom lip trying to keep from crying loudly in front of her Uncle as she nodded. With one last tight hug, Kaori said her final goodbye to the only family she knew.


	4. Uncle's friend Sasuke

Kaori looked up at at the black gloved hand of Sasuke as he said, “Come on, time to get out of here. We are going to head west.”

Before she had a chance to react, he took hold of her arm and began to lead her out of the restaurant. Kaori tried her best to keep her face dry as she struggled to keep up with him. 

“What do I call you?”

Her eyes remained glued ahead of her as she tried to keep herself from tripping.

“You may call me Sasuke.”

Kaori nodded as she asked, “How long will you be watching me Sasuke?”

Sasuke looked down at the small girl as he said, “Until you don’t need me to. I will be leaving you with other people from time to time so that I can go visit my family.”

Kaori yawned loudly before asking, “So, do you know where we are going to be staying?”

Sasuke nodded before leaning down grumbling, “Hop onto my back, you can nap for a bit. You’re probably tired, plus I can move us faster if I don’t have to walk at your pace.”

Kaori’s eyes narrowed behind her goggles before doing as he asked. Her eyes quickly began to droop as she laid her head on his shoulder.


	5. Travelling West

Kaori’s pale lavender eyes opened as she grumbled, “It’s hot.”

Sasuke chuckled as he grumbled, “It’s a desert kid, of course it’s hot.”

Kaori’s gaze lingered on the sand surrounding them as she asked, “How much longer until we get to our destination Sasuke?”

The Uchiha rolled his visible eye as he said, “Probably a few more days, but we will likely have to camp before it becomes too hot.”

Kaori squirmed as she asked, “Could I help get us there faster?”

Sasuke raised a dark brow towards the little girl as he placed her on the ground, “How exactly do you plan on doing that?”

Kaori smiled brightly as she said, “I’ll show you!”

His coal gaze watched closely as the small girl sat on the ground and began to hesitantly create hand signs. He placed his hand against his hip as he watched her place her hands against the sand while murmuring under her breath. 

“What are you doing kid?”

Sasuke quickly jumped back as he felt the ground rumble. His eye widened as he watched a platform of sand rise from under her, carrying her with it.

Kaori giggled proudly as she said, “Come on Sasuke, I can carry us while you rest, this way we can keep traveling without you exerting too much energy during the day. I’d like to follow Uncle’s wish of getting far away from the village before Creator finds that I am gone. Uncle risked a lot to help me.”

Sasuke nodded containing his shock as he jumped onto the platform to sit beside her, “How long can you hold this without becoming too low on your chakra?”

Kaori’s brows furrowed as she concentrated, “I’d estimate all day, especially since this is the only thing I’m exerting myself on. Then I can sleep tonight to recharge. Can you point me in the direction we need to move in? I’m not too good at carrying multiple people yet, so I can’t lose focus.”

Sasuke pointed his hand to the west as he said, “Sure Kaori. Head that way. I’ll take a short nap while you travel so I don’t distract you. If we encounter trouble I’ll be able to keep you safe so don’t worry.”

Kaori nodded before sticking her tounge out in concentration. She used her chakra to direct the sand platform towards the west. After about an hour of travelling, the heat was beginning to get to her. She grumbled under her breath as she closed her eyes tightly to move the sand. Kaori formed a protective sphere of sand around them and sighed at the instant relief she felt from the blazing sun.

“When did you make this enclosed?”

Kaori jumped almost losing her concentration as she said, “I see you are awake again.”

Sasuke nodded as he said, “You should work on your control while under stress.”

Kaori nodded as she said, “Uncle said similar things. I enclosed us to protect us from the heat. I would say it has been a steady eight hours from my chakra.”

Sasuke nodded as he asked, “Should you take a break?”

Kaori shook her head lightly as she said, “I can keep going. I can make an opening for you to figure out where we are and how much farther we have to venture.”

Sasuke sighed as he said, “Alright.”

He watched as she opened a small area in front of them. His eye widened as he viewed the sunrise in the distance, she had underestimated how long they had travelled by a large margin. 

“You should rest Kaori.”

Kaori rolled her eyes as she peeked over at Sasuke, “I’m fine old man.”

Sasuke chuckled as he said, “I see some of your personality came from those you share the blood of, but we are almost to our destination. It looks as though you managed to pull us through the air at extremely high speeds. We should be at the village in an hour walking, so come on. Time for you to rest, remember you are supposed to be keeping out of the public eye.”

Kaori couldn’t argue with his logic. She nodded before slowly lowering them to the ground and releasing the sand unceremoniously. Sasuke easily caught himself, but chuckled as he watched Kaori fall face first into a pile of sand. He couldn’t help the sound escaping him as the small girl pouted and began to try to remove the grains of sand from her mouth.

“That could have been smoother, huh?”

Kaori shot the chuckling adult a glare as she growled, “You try controlling sand!”

Sasuke found himself ruffling her hair as he said, “Come on grumpy, nap time.”

Kaori pouted again as she quickly climbed onto his back and grumbled, “I’m not five.”


	6. Kaori's 1st friend

“Hey kid, time to get up.”

Kaori groaned as she opened her eyes again, “Hm?”

Sasuke gently placed her onto the ground as he said, “I need you to wait right here for me. I’m going to go get us a hotel room for us to sleep in tonight, but I don’t want to raise any suspicions.”

Kaori nodded sleepily as she yawned, “Yeah, I’ll stay here.”

Sasuke gave her a curt nod before walking away quickly. After moving her focus from his retreating form to her environment, her eyes widened recognizing the area as a park. A bright smile quickly spread across her face, she had never been to one before. Her Uncle told her she couldn’t play in them to avoid the local children. Kaori quickly rushed towards the swings with wide curious eyes as she watched the local children playing on them. She decided to keep to herself and observe the kids. 

“I like your goggles.”

Kaori’s eyes shifted to the group of kids approaching her.

Her pale cheeks tinged pink as she hesitantly said, “Thank you, my un-”

“Hand them over. My little sister wants them.”

Kaori’s eyes widened as she locked gazes with the older male. His blue eyes remained calm, she assumed he was confident in his ability to over power her, likely underestimating her.

“What makes you think I will hand over  _ my _ goggles?”

The blue eyed male glared down at her as he said, “I’ll just take them if you don’t hand them over.”

Kaori took a step back to ground herself as she said, “Come and get them then, because I won’t hand them over without a fight.”

The male’s tan hand quickly pulled out a kunai knife as he said, “Don’t pick fights you can’t win kid.”

Kaori smirked confidently as she made a number of hand signs and murmured under her breath before standing on all fours. She watched the boy’s face contort in confusion as she knew her body was becoming more animalistic in its features.

“So you can do some jutsu, just means I don’t have to go easy on y-”

“Picking fights again, Einosuke?”

Kaori’s slitted eyes shift to the knew speaker as she observed the interrupting male.

“Shinki?! Why don’t you mind your own business?!”

“I believe it is my business seeing as you are in a public place and could hurt a civilian by accident. As the son of the Kazekage, it is my duty to put a stop to this battle, and knowing you, I have no doubts that you started this fight. Now stand down and go home Einosuke.”

The blue eyed male huffed angrily before marching away with his friends.

“I will ask you to stand down as well miss.”

Kaori slowly reverted back to her normal appearance as she released her jutsu and took in the newcomer's appearance. His bright green eyes were the first thing that caught her eyes before she took in the rest of his small pale frame. 

“My name is Shinki, I’m sure you heard it. What is yours? It is not often that I encounter a villager I do not recognize.”

Kaori’s pale cheeks flushed lightly as she said, “My name is Kaori, I’m not from this village.”

She watched as Shinki nodded as if he was calculating what to say next.

“Would you like me to give you a tour then, I’m sure my father would want me to extend the offer to a tourist?”

Kaori nervously looked around as she said, “I would love to, but I was told to wait here and not to move.”

Shinki’s pale hand began to rub the back of his neck as he asked, “Would it be alright if I sat with you then? I mean, I don’t get to travel much or meet outsiders who aren’t here for political meetings with my dad, so I’d love to know about your village and stuff.”

Kaori smiled nervously as she said, “Sure, uhm do you mind if I ask who your dad is? He must be pretty important based on the way you’ve spoken of him.”

Shinki chuckled softly as he said, “I don’t know my real parents, but the Kazekage took me in. He says I should stop calling him Kazekage and should call him dad, but it has been an adjustment. I mean, Lord Kazekage Sabaku no Gaara is my dad.”

Kaori body became rigid as he uttered the name. One of her genetic contributors was here, in this village, and she was sitting with a child who knew him as father.

“So where are you from? Are you visiting for touring or business? Where are your parents? How long as you- Oh! Sorry...I got a little carried away.”

Kaori watched the pink tinge on his cheeks and smiled softly as she said, “I am from Otogakure, the Sound village. It is to the east of here. For me to answer your other questions, you have to swear never to speak the words to anyone, not even your father.”

Shinki nodded excitedly as he held out his pinky and said, “I swear on my life.”

Kaori nodded as she looked into his eyes and said, “I believe you. You have honest eyes.”

She watched with a raised brow as his cheeks tinted darker pink and his green eyes looked down at his lap.

“My name is Oto no Kaori. I have that name because it was gifted to me by my creator. I don’t have parents. I ran away from my village and the man who is helping me decided to take me here, so I can only assume that I am moving here for a bit.”

Shinki nodded thoughtfully as he leaned his back against the wall behind them, “That sounds a bit unbelievable, but I guess you have no reason to lie about such things.”

Kaori nodded as her gaze stuck to the ground near her feet. She found herself speaking before she could stop herself.

She could feel the burning in her throat as she said, “The only family I knew was my creator and a man I called Uncle. Uncle risked everything for me to run away, but in doing so I had to give up everything...My village, my Uncle, my Creator, my home...And now I’m somewhere new and have to stay secret our of fear of my Creator finding me.”

The tears fell from behind her goggles, she barely registered the hesitant arms that wrapped around her pulling her into a hug.

“If it means anything to you Kaori, we can be friends while you’re here. I can try to help you make Sunagakure your new home, and I promise to help protect you...If you’d want that.”

Kaori allowed herself to lean against Shinki as she whispered, “Why?”

Shinki tried to fight the blush on his face as he murmured, “I don’t know why, but I want to. I was alone before the Kazekage took me in and gave me family, and I want to do the same for you...”

Kaori couldn’t hold back the watery laugh that escaped her as she leaned into Shinki’s shoulder. She would feel him slowly start to chuckle as well as the tension from their talk left the two kids.

“Shinki! There you are! Jeez kid, you’re going to get me killed! Oh? Who’s your friend?”

Shinki quickly pulled away from Kaori and jumped up blushing darkly as he bowed to the man that was running towards them.

“Sorry Uncle Kankuro, this is O-. This is my friend Kaori, she is new to the village. Einosuke and his friends were picking on her so I came over to keep a fight from breaking out.”

The tall male clad in black smiled down at Kaori as he said, “Ah, is that why when I made my way over you were hugging her?”

Shinki’s face turned red as he pushed Kankuro away grumbling, “Uncle Kankuro, don’t you have other things to do?!”

Kankuro chuckled loudly as he ruffled Shini’s black hair and said, “Your dad asked me to come get you. He was worried since you didn’t come home from your walk at your usual time.”

Shinki frowned as he looked up at his uncle and asked, “Can I wait with Kaori until her caretaker arrives?”

Kankuro smirked down at his nephew as he said, “Sure kid, I’ll sit over at that bench so you can hang out with your friend.”

Kaori smiled sadly as she watched Shinki bicker with his uncle, it reminded her of herself and her uncle. As soon as Kankuro began to walk away, Shinki turned his attention back to her. The two kids continued to chat for another hour before Kaori turned to the familiar voice of Sasuke.

“Sorry I took so long. Come on kid.”

Kaori nodded as she quickly stood up and offered her hand to Shinki.

“Sasuke? What are you doing here?”

Kaori and Shinki both shifted their attention to Kankuro and Sasuke as they seemed to know each other.

“Kankuro.”

Kankuro’s eyes shifted from Kaori to Sasuke as he jokingly asked, “Is she your kid?”

Sasuke shook his head as he said, “No, I’m in charge of her though. I figured she would be safe in this village for a few years, then I’ll move her again.”

Kankuro’s playful smile dropped as he said, “I doubt Gaara would approve of you being in our village while you have a kid back in the Konohagakure that you’re neglecting.”

Sasuke shrugged as he said, “I’ll bring her to meet him if he’d want, to formally request the ability. I don’t intend on staying here, I just need her to be here. I figured she could attend your academy and just live in the background of the village. I’ll just stop in once a week to check on her.”

Kankuro looked down and noticed the fearful expression on the young girl’s face at hearing Sasuke’s plan.

“She’s too young to be on her own idiot.”

Sasuke shrugged as he said, “She’s not my kid, nor my responsibility. I was asked to keep her alive and away from Otogakure. Besides, Naruto and myself both were alone near this age.”

Kankuro rolled his eyes as he grumbled, “And look at you now.”

Sasuke rolled his eyes as well as he said, “This is honestly none of your business Kankuro.”

Kankuro glared, he couldn’t believe what he was hearing, “I’ll take her.”

Four pairs of eyes widened as the words left his mouth.

“Fine, you can keep here while she’s here. She can explain herself to Gaara. I’ll be visiting every Friday to check on her.”

Kankuro opened his mouth to respond but before he could, Sasuke had left.

“So, how do you plan on explaining this, Uncle Kankuro?”

Kaori watched the conflicting emotions flash on Kankuro’s face before he gave them a bright smiled, “No need to worry Shinki, Gaara won’t mind.”

Kaori hesitantly watched the two before asking, “What does this mean for me?”

Shinki smiled brightly as he said, “It means you’re family now!”

Kankuro sighed as he said, “We will figure it out Kaori. Now come on you monsters, we’ve kept Gaara waiting long enough.”


	7. Meeting the Kazekage

“Kankuro, is there a reason you have trapped me in my office and refuse to let my son enter?”

Kankuro gulped as he said, “I have to talk to you about something first, and I asked Shinki to wait outside for a moment.”

Gaara sighed as his teal eyes closed in annoyance, “What could you possibly need that can’t wait until after I greet my son?”

Kankuro’s dark brown eyes nervously watched his younger brother as he asked, “How would you feel about possibly have a niece?”

Gaara’s teal eyes quickly opened as they connected with his older brother’s, “Is Temari expecting another child?”

Kankuro bit his lip nervously as he asked, “No, but for the sake of imagining, how would you feel if I had a daughter? Like just took one in? Randomly?”

Gaara looked over his brother suspiciously as he said, “I guess I would question how and when you acquired a child. Then I would ask you to consider if you were ready to take on that responsibility.”

Kankuro nodded as he asked, “So...that’s not an objection to the idea?”

Gaara’s eyes narrowed as he said, “No, I suppose it is not an objection. Are you considering adoption?”

Kankuro smiled nervously as he clapped his hands together and said, “Ah, that is great to hear! Well, Gaara, meet my new daughter! Kaori, you and Shinki can come in now!”

Gaara’s eyes widened as his mouth fell open in shock as his son and a young girl he could only assume was Kaori entered his office. His teal eyes narrowed as he looked at Kankuro.

“Kaori, this is your new uncle, my baby brother, Gaara!”

Gaara’s gaze immediately softened at the nervous voice of the bowing redhead, “It is an honour to meet you Lord Kazekage. My name is Kaori.”

Kankuro smirked as he watched his brother’s features soften, Kaori won him over. He sighed in relief as he realised she saved him from the fight that was surely on the brink of occuring.

“Welcome Kaori, you may call me Uncle Gaara. I see you have met my son Shinki.”

Kaori nodded as she said, “Yes, he was the first person I met from your village.”

Gaara’s eyes widened in curiosity as he asked, “You are not from this village?”

Kankuro’s heart began to race again, his gaze locked with his nephew’s green gaze and realised they were both having the same internal panic.

“No Uncle Gaara. I was instructed to explain my situation to you. I have already spoken with your son about some of it, but I am unsure if you would like me to fully explain myself with him in the room.”

Gaara nodded, he was slightly thrown off by how well the young girl articulated herself so formally, “Go right ahead.”

Kaori bit her lip nervously but smiled as Shinki gave her small hand a reassuring squeeze, “Kankuro has not been fully informed of my situation either, so I would suggest you both sit down as I myself was not able to stand while being told all of this information.”

Gaara exchanged a confused look with Kankuro before they both took seats. Shinki gently pulled Kaori over to them and sat with her in front of Gaara and Kankuro.

“I am not like any of you. I was not born, I was created. My creator is a man named Lord Orochimaru. I was cared for by one of his followers, Suigetsu, who treated me well and was referred to as my uncle. I have lived for 2 years, but have grown to what would be considered 7 years of age. I grew up in Otogakure, but my uncle, he helped me escape with the assistance of Sasuke. He wished for me not to share the same fate as my predecessor who had their existence terminated by my Creator. I was born to be a weapon, and as such was made from the genetic material of several shinobi. I am currently ordered to remain in hiding out of fear of being captured to be returned to the Creator.”

Kaori kept her gaze locked on the floor as she held her breath. Shinki had released her hand the moment she said she was not born. Her fear began to rise as the silence continued, what if they didn’t want her now that she told them everything?

“I see. Do you know the names of the shinobi or have any proof of this besides your word?”

Kaori nodded as she shakily removed her goggles and locked gazes with the teal eyes of the man who had asked her.

“My genetics come from Sabaku no Gaara, Hyuga Hinata, Aburame Shino, and Inuzuka Kiba. I was built to be a weapon, and therefore can perform the clans’ kekkei genkai and jutsus. I can use the byakugan, sand manipulation, insect manipulation and man beast jutsus just as an example. I hope that is proof enough. I am seeking shelter in your village, but would not be offended if you sent me on my way when Sasuke returns.”

The air was heavy. Kaori nervously looked away from Gaara, still afraid to peek at the expressions of Kankuro and Shinki. Kaori released a small gasp as she felt large arms wrap around her.

“That settles it, I’ll keep her as my daughter if you won’t Gaara! She’s family! Right Shinki?!”

Shinki nodded as he took hold of Kaori’s hand and defiantly looked at his father, “I agree with Uncle Kankuro, she is family. We cannot risk my sister being made into a weapon.”

Gaara’s teal eyes closed as he murmured, “This could put the village in danger.”

Kaori slowly pulled away from Kankuro and Shinki as she whispered, “I understand Lord Kazekage. I know that it is too much to ask for you to open your village to a monster such as myself. I am aware that I am an unnatural creature, one that should not exist. I did not expect to be granted a place to stay nor for acceptance into your family.”

She felt her lip begin to quiver as she fought back the tears. Her heart felt like it was being pushed into her throat. Her pale eyes closed tightly as she tried to keep the tears from slipping down her face.

“That is not what I was implying Kaori.”

Kaori’s eyes shot open as she gazed at Gaara, who held her in a tight hug, kneeling to be at her level.

“Wh-what?”

Gaara gently tightened his arms around her as he said, “You are not a monster. You are welcome in my family and in my village. You are my daughter. I know the pain that you are feeling, and you shouldn’t be feeling it. Let us fill it. I was simply stating that you should remain near myself, Shinki, and Kankuro at all times. If word were to leak that you were here, there is no doubt the village would become a target, and therefore I want you to remain under our finest protection at all times.”

Kaori’s wide pale lavender eyes quickly gazed at the warm looks she received from Shinki and Kankuro before finally closing as she sobbed into Gaara’s shoulder.

Kankuro pouted playfully as he said, “Hey, you can’t just steal my daughter like that! You already have a son.”

Shinki chuckled quietly as he offered, “Why don’t you both be her dads? That way she can still be my little sister! Everyone wins!”

Gaara ignored the two as he hushed the shaking girl, he saw himself in her eyes. He needed to be here for this girl, and he was glad Shinki wanted to as well.


	8. Keeping the family together

Gaara sighed as he glanced up from his desk at Kankuro, “How is she today?”

Kankuro chuckled as he said, “Well, Shinki has refused to let her leave her bed. He has stated ‘my little sister must recuperate her energy and shall not be walking’ until he approves of course. I was unaware Shinki had such a side to him. I’m so used to him trying to be serious and broody like you, it’s odd to see him giggling and protective over Kaori.”

Gaara nodded accepting his brother’s answer before asking, “Should I inform Naruto about this?”

Kankuro nervously bit his lip as he said, “I...I’d say no, not yet. I don’t want Naruto to take her from us. He will insist that she is brought to his village to remain because of her blood if we explain everything to him.”

Gaara groaned in aggravation as Kankuro spoke his fears, “Do we inform Temari? She is married to Naruto’s second in command.”

He watched Kankuro’s expressions of hesitate before answering, “No, I don’t trust Shikamaru to put family first, and it would be wrong to ask Temari to hide things from her husband. We should tell her she has a niece, but we don’t need to tell her the full story. We can say that I adopted Kaori and leave it at that.”

Gaara nodded as he said, “We will have to talk with Shinki and Kaori about not telling people about her unless we say it is alright, and we will need to create a story for us all to know.”

Kankuro smiled sadly as he said, “Yeah, but we are doing the right thing Gaara. She needs us. Sasuke was planning on just leaving her to live on her own.”

Gaara’s eyes narrowed as he grumbled, “I don’t understand why Naruto is friends with him still.”

Kankuro scoffed before continuing, “So, do we start training her? If Orochimaru has a connection to her, and comes after her, we can’t be sure we’d be strong enough to take him on. You and I have both started teaching Shinki some of our jutsus, do you think we should begin training Kaori as well?”

Gaara’s teal eyes closed in frustration as he said, “Well, that is a catch 22. If we teach her what we know, and she returns to Orochimaru, then we will be in grave danger. While at the same time, if she is in danger, it would be in our best interest for her to be able to defend herself.”

Kankuro nodded before closing his brown eyes, “I say we train her. Even if this could be some elaborate plot to infiltrate our village, I don’t think Kaori would betray us. After that display yesterday, I doubt she lied. She looked so lost Gaara...”

Gaara’s eyes met Kankuro’s as he said, “Alright, I will take her tomorrow to see what she can do in regard to her sand manipulation, if you want to teach her puppets I will not protest. She is family now, and I will not have her in a vulnerable state after we announce she is the newest member of this family.”

Kankuro smiled as he said, “So it’s agreed that I will be her father to the eyes of the public as well as Temari?”

Gaara nodded as he said, “Yes, it is for the best. You can have a daughter to parent and behind closed doors we will both be her parental figures so that Shinki can have his little sister and Kaori won’t feel as though her blood relatives do not want her.”

Kankuro nodded in agreement, “And we will both train her, with you starting tomorrow?”

Gaara nodded as he added, “And we will inform both Shinki and Kaori tonight over dinner.”

Kankuro hesitantly nodded as he asked, “What of her other bloodlines? Do we inform the clans that she exists? I mean we can train her with all we know, but we can’t help her refine her byakugan or anything like that.”

Gaara stiffened at Kankuro’s question and murmured, “Maybe I can request audience with the clan heads, and see how receptive they would be...before revealing her to them. I share your hesitance with her being able to be removed from us Kankuro, and I don’t intend on putting us in a situation where it could become the case.”

Kankuro released a sigh as he said, “Thank you Gaara.”


End file.
